Piano.



No. 800,750. PATENTED OCT. 3, 1905. J. A. MANVILLE.

PIANO.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 18, 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1. f

amma Wow PATENTED OCT. 3, 1905.

J. A. MANVILLE.

PIANO.

APPLICATION FILED NOV.18, 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

V///////// gggg U NIIIIEI) STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN A. MANVILLE, OF GRAND RAPIDS, .\"II()l*ll( 'AN, ASSIGNOR TO MAN-VILLE PIANO COMPANY, OF GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN, A CORPORA- TION OF MIGHIGAN.

PIANO.

No. soo,750.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 3, 1905.

Be it known that I, JOHN A. MANvinnn, a citizen of the United States,residing at Grand Rapids, in the county of Kent and State of Michigan,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pianos; and I dohereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact descriptionof the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to whichit appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in pianos, and more particularly tothe construction of the case and the support for the action-frame; andits object is to simplify the construction; to provideasingleframeadapted to serve both as a string frame and as a main frame; toprovide means for separately attaching and detaching the various partscomprising the ease and action-frame to the same; to provide a device inwhich the action frame is supported upon the stringframe and at the endsonly, whereby. a continuous unbroken arrangement of the action can besecured and straight keys used throughout to improve the tone of theinstrument, and to provide the device With various new and usefulfeatures, hereinafter more fully described, and particularly pointed outin the claims, as will more fully appear by reference to theaccompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a front elevation of adevice embodying my invention with parts of the case removed to show theconstruction. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section of the same on the line 2 2of Fig. 1; Fig. 3, an enlarged vertical section of the same on the line3 3 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4, a further enlarged detail of the end bracket andits support, shown partly in side elevation and partly in section; andFig. 5, a detail of the upper end of the said bracket.

Like numerals refer to like parts in all of the figures.

1 represents the main frame of the piano, which in addition to servingas a string-frame is adapted to support the various other partshereinafter enumerated and which latter are severally and independentlyattached thereto. Said frame is substantially square in outline andprovided with suitable flanges 5, to which the ends 4 of the case areindependently attached by suitable fastenings or screws 6, extendingthrough the flanges. Upon this frame the strings are stretched in theusual manner, said strings being omitted in the drawings. To the upperback portion of this frame is attached a suitable pin-block 16, in whichthe tuning-pins are inserted, said block being independently secured tothe said frame by suitable screws 17.

2 represents the sounding-board at the rear of the strings, which isalso independently secured to the back of the frame by suitable screws3, extending through the frame and into the margins of thesounding-board.

7 represents the horizontal rail of the action-frame to which thevarious parts of the piano-action are secured in the usual way, saidaction being omitted as constituting no part of my present invention.This rail is made sul'liciently heavy and strong so as to require noother support than at the ends where it is attached to suitable brackets9, preferably of metal, which brackets adjustably support this rail andare provided with pointed ends 9" at the lower end, which are insertedin blocks 11 made of wood or other suitable somewhat elastic material,which blocks are adjustably supported in sockets 10 on the frame 1, saidblocks being vertically adjusted by means of set-screws 12 and heldagainst lateral vibration by other screws 13, inserted in the socket 10.The upper end of these brackets are also supported upon the frame 1 bymeans of suitable studs 14, which pass through the vertically-slottedupper ends 9 of the bracket and are secured therein by suitablethumb-nuts 15. This rail 7 and the two brackets 9 thus constitutesubstantially the action-frame and are wholly, independ ently, andadjustablysupported upon the main frame 1 and are separated therefrom bythe blocks 11, whereby the tone of the instrument is not interfered withby the vibration of this action-frame, and the same frame is alsoadjustable at its respective ends to bring the action in proper relationto the various strings. I ind also that by the described construction Ican dispense with any intermediate supports for the action-frame, andthus make the action uniformly spaced throughout and without any gapstherein for intermediate supports for the rail. I thus simplify theconstruction and can use straight keys throughout. I also secure a morecompact structure. It will also be noted that by this construction I amable to detach at pleaswe the pi n-block, sounding-hoard, either end ofthe case, or the action-frame without in any wise disturbing orinterfering with the attachment of the respective other parts. Forconvenience the base-support or bottom board 18 extends beneath the mainframe and the inner strips of the ends of the case and support the same.The keyboard 19 is supported by the ends 4 and made detachable therefromin any suitable manner, and the soft-pedal bar 8 is supported on theactionframe in the usual way.

The front of the case is not shown, being of the usual construction andattached in the usual way.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is*

1. In a piano a combination string-frame and piano-fra1ne, a pin-block,a soundingboard, two case ends, and an action-frame each separatelydirectly and independently supported by the combination -frame, andmeans for detachably securing said pin-block, sounding-board, case ends,and action-frame to the combination-fran'ie.

2. .In a piano, a substantially square frame adapted to serve acombination piano-frame and string-frame, flanges on the margins of saidframe, sockets and studs on the front of said frame, a pin-block and asounding-board detachably secured directly to the back of the saidframe, abase and two case ends separately secured to the flanges, and anaction-frame having brackets, engaging the sockets and studs andsupported thereby.

3. ln a piano, a main frame on which the strings are stretched, ahorizontal rail to support the action, a bracket, attached to each endof said rail, each bracket having a slotted upper end, studs on theframe and engaging the slots, thumb-nuts on the studs, sockets on theframe, and adjustable blocks in the sockets and supporting the brackets.

4. In a piano, a main frame on which the strings are stretched, ahorizontal rail to sup port the action, brackets attached to therespective ends of the rail and each having a slotted upper end and apointed lower end, sockets on the frame, adjustable blocks in thesockets and engaging the lower ends of the brackets, screws tovertically adjust the brackets, studs on the frame and inserted in theslots, and thumb-nuts on the studs.

In testimony whereof I allix mysignature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN A. ivIANVllJLlC.

\Vitnesscs:

Lo'rnun V. MoUL'roN, J. FRANK (.i'ASKlLL. I

